the wrong side of the bed
Monday, January 03, 2005
my parents can beat up your parents*
this morning i walked into the kitchen to get breakfast (vegetarian corndogs and a diet coke) and heard the end of a show on NPR. the show had been sponsored by Wal-Mart. i was sort of shocked. i didn't think that Wal-Mart gave to NPR, but i guess it makes sense. why not get middle class liberals shopping at your store, too? my mom walked out of her room at that point and i told her what i had heard. she got very upset and told me that NPR also accepts contributions from Halliburton. mom proceeded to march into the kitchen and switch the dial to Pacifica Radio, declaring that they, unlike NPR, are not sell-outs.** my mom loves Pacifica Radio. in fact, they host one of her favorites, the prison show, which claire and others can listen to on the web.
* not really. like good liberals, they are pacifists. they would probably try to reason you out of it. when pushed, my mom can be really intimidating. she used to be a substitute teacher, but not the push over kind. the kind you feared. kids would regularly tell me that they hated my mom. dumbasses. my mom fucking rocks!!!! ask anybody. well, don't ask joel gilmore. in fourth grade, they had a lot of clashes. no, thanks for asking, it didn't help my popularity.
** despite this reaction, my mom still shops at Wal-Mart. huh?
* not really. like good liberals, they are pacifists. they would probably try to reason you out of it. when pushed, my mom can be really intimidating. she used to be a substitute teacher, but not the push over kind. the kind you feared. kids would regularly tell me that they hated my mom. dumbasses. my mom fucking rocks!!!! ask anybody. well, don't ask joel gilmore. in fourth grade, they had a lot of clashes. no, thanks for asking, it didn't help my popularity.
** despite this reaction, my mom still shops at Wal-Mart. huh?
8:37 AM
4 Comments:
Hey, I hate Walmart as much as anyone, but it wouldn't be ethical for NPR to refuse to accept contributions from them. If NPR were private, sure, but if it's partially supported by Federal funds? Not so much.
I dunno, Drek. Considering the McDonald's ads my two-year-old has the opportunity to see at the periphery of Sesame Street, I wish almost daily for less corporate funding of "public" broadcasting.
One way to kick the Wal-Mart habit is to read this in the NY Review of Books: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/17647 (btw, how do you link in a Comment?)
Fifty percent of those employed at the beginning of 2003 had left by the end of the year. Fewer than fifty percent with affordable health insurance. The biggest class action lawsuit in history (brough on behalf of 1.6 million women), claiming systematic discriminatory practices in pay and promotion. And so on. A buncha happy employees out there!
Fifty percent of those employed at the beginning of 2003 had left by the end of the year. Fewer than fifty percent with affordable health insurance. The biggest class action lawsuit in history (brough on behalf of 1.6 million women), claiming systematic discriminatory practices in pay and promotion. And so on. A buncha happy employees out there!
There's also the Frontline Is Wal-Mart Good for America program. I note that Frontline is mostly viewer and foundation-supported, though I see that U.S. News sponsored "The Jesus Factor."
